Kingly Names, Growth Curves, and Other Royal Birth Data

As we congratulate Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (AKA, Kate Middleton) on the birth of their first son, we thought it’d be fun to explore some royal names, among other data, on Wolfram|Alpha, and see what impact the royal baby could end up having on the American side of the pond.

Though the name of their child has yet to be announced, British bookmakers have put leading odds on James and George. Both names have a long and regal history: King George VI (for example), the most recent King to be named George or James, ruled from 1936 to 1952, and later became the subject of the Oscar-winning film The King’s Speech.

Both names have remained popular among the public, as well; every year, over 13,000 Jameses are born in the United States. However, these same names have become less and less frequently used (at least in the US) since roughly the start of the twentieth century:

Could a royal precedent reverse this trend, though? Perhaps, but maybe not so soon. The birth of Princes William and Harry in 1982 and 1984 appeared to have no impact on naming trends in the US…

…but another ceremony may have. The courtship of Princess Diana, and her marriage to Prince Charles in 1981, occurred right at the same time that the name Diana saw a jump in popularity.

Will this happen with the newest member of the Royal Family? We can’t tell the future, of course—but we can make some other types of predictions. Wolfram|Alpha can give you the standard growth curve for children given their height and/or weight, such as the royal child’s 8 pounds, 6 ounces: